Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The first table below shows changes in the total population of New York City from 1800 to 2000. The second and third tables show changes in the population of the five districts of the city (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) over the same period.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The three tables shows the difference in population of New York Citry and five districts from 1800 to 2000, at a glance population in New York City had increased rapidly fromm 79,216 to 8,009,185.

The population of New York City have raised from 79,216 in 1800 to 3,437,202 in the year 1900 and got increased to 8,009,185 by 2000. The population in Manthattan had increased very rapidly from 60,515 in 1800 to 1,850,093 in 1900 but total population percentage had decreased from 76 to 54 in the next century population had increased to 1,538,096 and percentage had droped to 17 only. similar pattern can be seen in other districts population had grown 18,701 in 1800 to 1,58,109 which had increased the percentage of total population from 24 to 46, by 2000 population had reached to 6,471,089 at the higest and with 81 percentage oh total population.

To conclude, even rise in popualtion in manhattan the total population percentage had decreased very rapidly and on the other had other districs total population percentage had increased with the population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You identify the main overall changes: New York City’s population grew substantially, while Manhattan’s share fell and the other districts’ share rose. You also include several relevant figures, such as the city totals and the 2000 population of the other districts. However, some details are inaccurate: Manhattan’s 2000 share was 19%, not 17%, and the other districts’ 1900 population was 1,587,109, not 1,58,109. The overview is present but is mainly left to the conclusion, and the comparison between Manhattan’s population peak in 1900 and its decline by 2000 could be stated more clearly. More precise reporting and a clearer overview would make the key features more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph reporting the figures, and a concluding comparison. The information generally follows the timeline from 1800 to 2000, and the contrast between Manhattan and the other districts gives the response a clear organising idea. However, most of the data are packed into one long paragraph, where several comparisons run together. Linking is sometimes mechanical or unclear, as in “but total population percentage had decreased” and “on the other had.” The conclusion repeats the main contrast rather than adding a concise overview at the start. Separate the city-wide trend from the district comparison, and use clearer sentence boundaries and references to guide the reader.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for describing data, including “population,” “percentage,” “increased,” “decreased,” and “reached,” so the main trends can be understood. However, the range is limited and some choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes the report less precise. For example, “the difference in population” is not the best way to introduce changes over time, and “at the higest” is an imprecise description of the 2000 figure. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “Citry,” “Manthattan,” “droped,” and “popualtion.” Aim for accurate, varied trend language and check spelling carefully; alternatives such as “rose,” “declined,” and “accounted for” would help describe the figures more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “but” and a concluding sentence comparing the districts. However, control is uneven, and errors in agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction sometimes make the relationships between figures difficult to follow. For example, “The three tables shows” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “The population … have raised” uses an incorrect verb form. The long sentence beginning “The population in Manthattan…” joins several clauses without clear punctuation, and “even rise in popualtion” lacks a grammatical structure. Practise accurate past-tense reporting and divide multi-part comparisons into complete sentences, using conjunctions and punctuation to show how the figures relate.

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